The present invention relates to delivering content to a mobile terminal, and in particular, to delivering content based on location in an efficient manner.
Mobile terminals, such as mobile telephones and wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), are now capable of receiving content from various types of network devices and presenting the content to users in a visual or audible format. Users of these devices may browse the Internet and receive various types of content. Further, mobile terminals may cooperate with various network services to receive alerts relating to any type of event or information.
Advertisers and other entities are trying to take advantage of this communication medium by sending users information via their mobile terminals. Users are interested in obtaining this information, but are primarily interested in obtaining information that is deemed beneficial. Information services have emerged that provide information based on the user""s location in order to target such information to those most likely to benefit.
Many of the services providing information make defining and determining localities to associate with information difficult. People typically prefer to identify a locality based on common names and terminology, such as the name of an area, city, district, zip code, or the like. Existing location-based systems do not provide a user-friendly way to readily identify or associate known localities.
Existing techniques for providing alerts and related information to a user""s mobile terminal based on location are network centric. The task of continuously tracking the user via the mobile terminal is placed squarely on services in the wireless communication network. Typically, the network must continuously poll the mobile terminal to determine location information and take action when location criteria are met. Having to continuously poll large numbers of mobile terminals creates a tremendous load on the wireless communication network.
Accordingly, there is a need for a technique to provide location-based information to mobile terminals in an efficient and user-friendly manner. There is also a need to minimize the impact on the wireless communication network. There is a further need to provide an effective way to manage the information provided via the mobile terminal and associate the information with readily recognized locations.
The present invention provides for delivering content, such as information, advertisements, directions, and news, to a mobile terminal based on location. The mobile terminal is configured to determine its location and whether content is available based on internal records. If content is available, the mobile terminal may initiate correspondence with an application server to obtain the content. The mobile terminal may keep a table identifying the availability of content for defined locations. Preferably, the locations relate to cells within a wireless network wherein the mobile terminal will check for the availability of content for a given cell and request the content. The mobile terminal may check for the availability of content periodically or when the servicing cell changes.
Each cell may represent a locality corresponding to a single cell, group of cells, or sectors within a cell. The locality is preferably a recognizable area, which is easily identified by a typical user. In order to minimize the impact on memory, the mobile terminal will preferably keep a relatively small table of locations and indicators of available content. When the mobile terminal moves to new locations or is serviced by an unknown cell, the mobile terminal may request an update for a given cell or the entire table.
Further, the application server may access a profile to select content to provide the mobile terminal based on user preferences, preferences of a service provider, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the application server may access more precise location information for the terminal from other location services tracking the mobile terminal.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.